How to import an existing OpenClaw or Hermes agent into ClawKickstart

Sometimes the right path is not a fresh install. You may already have an OpenClaw or Hermes Agent folder with working model settings, memory, skills, and Telegram configuration. ClawKickstart now lets you bring that existing agent bundle into a managed instance instead of rebuilding the setup by hand.

The import flow works the same way for both OpenClaw and Hermes. The important part is matching the bundle to the framework already selected for the instance: OpenClaw imports go into OpenClaw instances, and Hermes imports go into Hermes instances.

• OpenClaw bundles should contain an openclaw/ or .openclaw/ root folder
• Hermes bundles should contain a hermes/ or .hermes/ root folder
• The target instance must already be running and configured in ClawKickstart
• The import replaces the current agent folder on that instance; it is not a merge operation

ClawKickstart accepts common archive formats for agent transfers: .tar.gz, .tgz, and .zip. It intentionally rejects unsupported formats like .rar, unsafe paths, root-only archives, directory-only archives, symlinks, and cross-framework bundles. Those checks keep a backup or migration file from accidentally writing outside the expected agent directory or replacing the wrong framework.

# OpenClaw examples
tar -czf openclaw-agent.tar.gz .openclaw/
zip -r openclaw-agent.zip .openclaw/

# Hermes examples
tar -czf hermes-agent.tar.gz .hermes/
zip -r hermes-agent.zip .hermes/

From the dashboard, select the running instance you want to update, open the Agent Setup card, and choose Import Agent. After you pick the archive, ClawKickstart stages the upload, queues an import operation, stops the gateway, backs up the current agent folder, replaces it with the imported bundle, and restarts the gateway.

That backup step matters. Import is designed for controlled replacement: the existing folder is moved aside before the new bundle takes over. If the gateway has already been stopped and the replacement fails, ClawKickstart attempts to restore the previous folder before restarting the gateway again.

• Use Export Full Bundle before major changes if you want a fresh downloadable copy of the current agent
• Confirm the target instance framework before importing; cross-framework imports are blocked
• Expect the agent to restart while the import is applied
• Watch the Recent activity card for queued, running, success, or failed import status
• Expand the operation row to review detailed logs and timestamps after the import completes

Import is especially useful when moving from a manually managed VPS into ClawKickstart, restoring a known-good backup, or testing a copied agent setup on a second instance. It gives you a clean dashboard path for the same operational work you would otherwise do over SSH: stop the service, save the old folder, copy the new one into place, and restart safely.

ClawKickstart now covers the full lifecycle for self-hosted OpenClaw and Hermes Agent instances: provision a VPS, configure the agent, export a full bundle, import an existing bundle, monitor diagnostics, and follow operation history from Recent activity — all from the dashboard.